Urgent action is needed to halt the execution of 128 prisoners on death row in Iraq. Many of those awaiting execution were convicted for the 'crime' of homosexuality, according to IRAQI-LGBT, a UK based organisation of Iraqis supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Iraq.
According to Ali Hili of IRAQI-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week.
IRAQI-LGBT urgently requests that the UK Government, Human Rights Groups and the United Nations Human Rights Commission intervene with due speed to prevent this tragic miscarriage of justice from going ahead.
...IRAQI LGBT is concerned that the Iraqi authorities have not disclosed the identities of those facing imminent execution, stoking fears that many of them may have been sentenced to death after trials that failed to satisfy international standards for fair trial.
Most are likely to have been sentenced to death by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI), whose proceedings consistently fall short of international standards for fair trial. Some are likely to have. Allegations of torture are not being investigated adequately or at all by the CCCI. Torture of detainees held by Iraqi security forces remains rife.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
More Goodies!!!!
This is one of those amazing tarts from the Vietnamese bakery. Mr. Vuong said he wanted to bring in a chocolate cake.... Mrs. Vuong said NO.... We're bringing in a tart.
Yummy! Maybe I'll eat a piece or 2 of the fruit. NO CRUST!
Shit. More Sweets.
Gifts from patients. More sweets to drive me batty. I can do this. Yes, I can be here and NOT eat these cookies. I Can! I CAn! I CAN!
Cop Killer is a Hero? WTF?
The black community is actually turning Mixon (the cop killer) into a hero. Right. Give me a break. The guy is black, but he's a rapist and a murderer. His DNA matched the rape evidence from a 12 year old girl. Other girls have evidence against him. Do they really want to make him a hero?
Sure, not every cop is "good", but Mixon was pulled over for a routine traffic violation. He was in parole violation and would have faced, at most, 6 months in prison. Are 6 months worth your own life and 4 other innocent lives? It makes me SICK to see the black community rallying around and trying to make this murderer a hero. He's no hero. He's an evil animal that belonged in a cage. At least now he's dead and won't be a menace to society. Good ridance.
Sure, not every cop is "good", but Mixon was pulled over for a routine traffic violation. He was in parole violation and would have faced, at most, 6 months in prison. Are 6 months worth your own life and 4 other innocent lives? It makes me SICK to see the black community rallying around and trying to make this murderer a hero. He's no hero. He's an evil animal that belonged in a cage. At least now he's dead and won't be a menace to society. Good ridance.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Night Shift Funny
We have a registry nurse here tonight named Mark. I knew him from other hospitals and he's a pretty funny guy. Well, he's been talking about his upcoming EHarmony date tonight (and he can't work!).
Mark was feeding a baby who had a particularly rough delivery. It was a face presentation and had a large abrasion on his forhead. I commented to Mark that it looked pretty nasty and that the baby had been "hit in the face with a vagina".
Without missing a beat, Mark replied that he "hopes to suffer the same fate tonight".
Mark was feeding a baby who had a particularly rough delivery. It was a face presentation and had a large abrasion on his forhead. I commented to Mark that it looked pretty nasty and that the baby had been "hit in the face with a vagina".
Without missing a beat, Mark replied that he "hopes to suffer the same fate tonight".
Junk Food At Work
This is why it's so gosh darn difficult to stay away from junk at work. People bring in Girl Scout Cookies and leave them sitting on the desk facing me. And these are the really good ones.
People thank us with candy and cookies. See's candy, even. I can't even eat one piece of any of these things. Control. Think.... control. AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Ignoramus
I gotta tell ya this is not only disappointing but out and out ignorant. It is however unsurprising.Pope Vader in a statement aboard Pope One, the papal plane:
Condoms are not the answer to AIDS on the African continent. You can’t resovle the problem with the distribution of condoms. In fact, it increases the problem.
Words nearly fail me at this point. Apparently Pope Vader has yet to realize that we have entered the 21st century. And that the proper use of condoms does in fact slow and in many cases prevent the transmission of AIDS when used properly.
Rebecca Hodes with the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa said if the pope is serious about preventing new HIV infections, he will focus on promoting wide access to condoms and spreading information on how best to use them.
“Instead, his opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans,” said Hodes, director of policy, communication and research for the action campaign.
While she said the pope is correct that condoms are not the sole solution to Africa’s AIDS epidemic, she said they are one of the very few HIV prevention mechanisms proven to work.
Even some priests and nuns working with those living with HIV/AIDS question the church’s opposition to condoms amid the pandemic ravaging Africa.
The whole article is here
While the priests and nuns wonder about the Popes opposition I do not. It is part and parcel of the ideology of superstition and ignorance that we have been fighting since time began. The wilful disregard for actual life is a symptom of the need for the sociopaths to propmote a belief that is only sustained by abject indifference to suffering which they have reframed as sacrifice.
The Pope has in one statement effectively sentenced thousands and perhaps millions of Africans to their slow painful deaths. Way to go Ratzi. You are the scum of the earth.
Unfortunately he is not alone. In the USA our fundies have the very same attitude and would have you “believe” that abstinence is the answer. Many politicians agree and have voted to continue the Faith-based programs started by Bush. Our tax dollars being spent on failure and ignorance. And they really expect us to respect their beliefs?
If you don’t mind signing the ACLU’s form to “End Faith-Based Funding” please do so
Condoms are not the answer to AIDS on the African continent. You can’t resovle the problem with the distribution of condoms. In fact, it increases the problem.
Words nearly fail me at this point. Apparently Pope Vader has yet to realize that we have entered the 21st century. And that the proper use of condoms does in fact slow and in many cases prevent the transmission of AIDS when used properly.
Rebecca Hodes with the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa said if the pope is serious about preventing new HIV infections, he will focus on promoting wide access to condoms and spreading information on how best to use them.
“Instead, his opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans,” said Hodes, director of policy, communication and research for the action campaign.
While she said the pope is correct that condoms are not the sole solution to Africa’s AIDS epidemic, she said they are one of the very few HIV prevention mechanisms proven to work.
Even some priests and nuns working with those living with HIV/AIDS question the church’s opposition to condoms amid the pandemic ravaging Africa.
The whole article is here
While the priests and nuns wonder about the Popes opposition I do not. It is part and parcel of the ideology of superstition and ignorance that we have been fighting since time began. The wilful disregard for actual life is a symptom of the need for the sociopaths to propmote a belief that is only sustained by abject indifference to suffering which they have reframed as sacrifice.
The Pope has in one statement effectively sentenced thousands and perhaps millions of Africans to their slow painful deaths. Way to go Ratzi. You are the scum of the earth.
Unfortunately he is not alone. In the USA our fundies have the very same attitude and would have you “believe” that abstinence is the answer. Many politicians agree and have voted to continue the Faith-based programs started by Bush. Our tax dollars being spent on failure and ignorance. And they really expect us to respect their beliefs?
If you don’t mind signing the ACLU’s form to “End Faith-Based Funding” please do so
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Heaviest Element Known To Science
Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction thatwould normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
The Taxi ride
The Cab Ride I’ll Never Forget
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss. What I didn’t realize was that it was also a ministry.
Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, and made me laugh and weep.
But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partyers, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.
When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.
Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knick-knacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
“It’s nothing”, I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy”, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”
I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
“I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered.
“There are other passengers”.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss. What I didn’t realize was that it was also a ministry.
Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, and made me laugh and weep.
But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partyers, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.
When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.
Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knick-knacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
“It’s nothing”, I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy”, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”
I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
“I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered.
“There are other passengers”.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Blogging From Work
This is going to be my alternative blogging place while I'm working.... until OCMMC decides to UNBLOCK myspace and allow us to use it again. I want to be able to post interesting things that I find.... so that you may be mildly amused. Here it is. We'll see how it goes.
When you first log on, you'll have to agree to adult content. I HAD to enable adult content because I honestly can't stand censorship. I don't want a website telling me what I can and cannot post.
To view the blog, click on the title link to the right. You'll then see the whole thing. Try it now.
I opened my blog to be viewed by all. You don't have to be a registered user. Anyone can comment. You can be anonymous. You don't have to type in any letters or do anything special. I've tried to make it as easy as possible. I may get spam, but I'll delete it. No worries here.
Later, I'm going to link this blog to the following web address: http://www.joycepatton.com/. That will take me a couple of days, so please be patient. I'll let you know.
I hope you enjoy what you read here!
When you first log on, you'll have to agree to adult content. I HAD to enable adult content because I honestly can't stand censorship. I don't want a website telling me what I can and cannot post.
To view the blog, click on the title link to the right. You'll then see the whole thing. Try it now.
I opened my blog to be viewed by all. You don't have to be a registered user. Anyone can comment. You can be anonymous. You don't have to type in any letters or do anything special. I've tried to make it as easy as possible. I may get spam, but I'll delete it. No worries here.
Later, I'm going to link this blog to the following web address: http://www.joycepatton.com/. That will take me a couple of days, so please be patient. I'll let you know.
I hope you enjoy what you read here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
